The wife of one of our pastors years ago told her family, “We’re on an adventure” whenever they discovered they were lost while taking a journey in unknown places. I don’t exactly think we’re lost but have decided to take that attitude for this breast cancer journey which is certainly taking us into unknown places!
Last week, a few days after my first chemo treatment, I began coughing and running a low-grade temperature. My oncologist and trainer had drilled into us that if our temperature went above 100.4, we were to call them immediately. But no one had told us if we could take Tylenol to reduce the fever before it reached that level, so as the numbers on the thermometer crept up, I called their 24-hour line to ask.
My doctor explained that the fever isn’t the problem, but it may be a red flag indicating a problem, so no Tylenol to reduce the fever is permitted.
During the following days, every evening the following pattern occurred around 5:00 or 6:00: coughing and low-grade fever, as well as some hacking and coughing first thing in the morning. But my fever never went above 100.3, at least not while I was awake.
On Tuesday, we headed for the New Castle Hillman Cancer Center for an appointment with Kim, the CRNP, which was to be followed by chemo. She examined me and asked a lot of questions. As she wrinkled her forehead and looked puzzled, I prayed my standard prayer for these situations, “God, please make her smarter than she is…” Not that she isn’t smart, but God is the only one who knows for sure what’s going on.
Finally, Kim told us she isn’t concerned about the respiratory issues, but she’s concerned about the fever and wants to confer with T, the oncology nurse scheduled to do my chemo that day. When she returned, she said T told her she had a patient with the same symptoms last week who turned out to have an infection in her port.
“I’m not going to treat you with chemo today,” Kim said, “but we’re going to do a bunch of tests to get to the bottom of the cause of your fever. I’m also going to start you on a broad-spectrum antibiotic to attack the problem that way.” Then she sent me on to their lab.
I was so relieved at Kim’s approach. Ever since the cough/fever thing started, I’d been praying God would show her what to do. As the lab tech and I talked about what was going on, I told her I had used my usual approach when people in the medical profession look puzzled, “God make them smarter than they are,” etc.
“Yes,” she responded. “God is the only One ho has the wisdom to know what to do.”
So thankful to find a believer!
We went on to my Pod where I would have something done to my port that should show if there was an infection. Our nurse said she’s already heard about us—Daisy & Donald Duck, except it’s Donn, not Donald, with two ns.
We all had a good laugh. Conversation went on and I didn’t follow exactly what was being said between our nurse and a few other patients. Then T said, “I have sort of a potty-mouth, but I decided I’d better clean up my language since Donn and Daisy got here.”
Really funny since we’d never met and she knew nothing about us. I just couldn’t resist and said, “Well, I will tell you we were missionaries to Japan.”
Our nurse said, “Oh no!” and we all laughed and laughed. So we’ll see where God takes this.
After we finished our business at the Hillman Cancer Center, we made a stop at Walmart and the Dollar Store. There were two beautiful, bi-racial children in the Dollar Store, and they said hello and waved to me as I passed them. Later, when we came to check out, they were ahead of us behind their mother.
I asked the little boy, “How are you?”
He wrinkled his forehead and said, “Well, I’m sorta sick. I’m having cramps and my mom is trying to figure out what to do and who she can take me to.”
I patted his hair and told him, “Well I will pray for you that God will show your mom what to do and who to take you to because He’s the One who knows.”
He smiled and joined his sister ahead of us and I continued to talk to them—asking them their ages and birth dates. I wish I’d asked their names just for the sake of making prayer easier, but God knows their names.
As they said good bye and left the store, I couldn’t help but think that if I’d had chemo today, I would have missed this sweet encounter.
So I continue to rely heavily on the fact that I’ve made of my body a living sacrifice and there may be many unexpected twists and turns on this breast cancer adventure we’re on. As I told a friend who was very concerned at this turn of events, “I have two choices. I can trust or I can be afraid. I’ve chosen to trust.”
Father, thank you that because you know what you’re doing and you don’t make mistakes, I can “trust and not be afraid” (Isaiah 12:2b). Amen.
Health Update – Please pray with us that the source of the fever can be found and eliminated or that the antibiotic will work. At this point, I have another appointment to see Kim and have blood work done on Tuesday, June 20, at 10:30 a.m. I just received word this morning that one of my labs came back normal and if all the other results are good, they will treat me with chemo that day.